


Wings of a Guardian

by peppermintquartz



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: M/M, introspective, winged guardians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 23:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11263605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppermintquartz/pseuds/peppermintquartz
Summary: Baze might not have admitted it back then, but he used to be proud of his wings. They were mighty and strong, and could carry him far higher than any other Guardian. In direct sunlight, his wings gleamed golden, as though they were gilded by the Force itself. They used to say he bore wings of the truest Guardians.





	Wings of a Guardian

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SarahSelene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahSelene/gifts).



Baze might not have admitted it back then, but he used to be proud of his wings. They were mighty and strong, and could carry him far higher than any other Guardian. In direct sunlight, his wings gleamed golden, as though they were gilded by the Force itself. They used to say he bore wings of the truest Guardians. 

He had been proud of them, so proud; he had oiled and groomed his plumage with a fastidiousness close to vanity. Chirrut teased him about it, but the younger Guardian had helped groom his golden-brown feathers every evening before bedtime, the strokes of his combing fingers interspersed with kisses. Baze used to leap from the tallest tower and, with a single flap of his wings, surge to a point so far above in the heavens, the temple was a mere speck. Chirrut tried to match his height, but never could touch the clouds the way Baze did.

But those who soar highest, fall furthest. 

Baze’s wings are now a shadow of what they used to be. Many of his pinion feathers have been lost in the many skirmishes since the fall of the temple. He remembers the one and only time he mourned the loss of flight, and the loss of his plumage. But after he saw what the imperial invaders did to the fledglings, he discarded his vanity and regret, and took up a different mantle. His feet are now firmly planted on the ground, and he has learned to fight down and dirty. His keen sight developed from his years in the sky is now trained through scopes where he lies sprawled among rocks in the dirt.

Chirrut’s wings are still as fleet and swift as they have ever been. His speckled grey and black wings are usually folded, but he uses them still. He tracks his prey - imperials or criminals, depending on the day, his mood, and the state of their finances - and zooms over rooftops to get to where they are going. In combat, his wings act like an extra set of fists, and if Baze isn’t there to save him, Chirrut flies out of trouble. They can’t catch him. 

When they are home, Baze grooms Chirrut’s wings. He meticulously checks the feathers and massages the oil from the glands into Chirrut’s plumage. Now he can appreciate the beauty of Chirrut’s wings; he can identify the position of every band and spot that makes up Chirrut’s plumage. If Baze could draw, he would be able to recreate those wings by memory alone.

In the beginning, he wondered why Chirrut has chosen to stay with him when he can no longer fly. He was soil-bound, limited by gravity. He was no longer a Guardian. He was the anchor that weighed Chirrut down.

If Baze were a better man, he would leave Chirrut. Forcibly sever the ties between them. He, in fact, tried to be the better man.

But it turns out that Baze is not a better man. 

He came back, and Chirrut who had years to fly away from Jedha, leaped into Baze’s arms like Baze is the sky itself.

“I dared not leave the ground,” Chirrut whispered, “fearing that the moment I flew, I would miss the sound of your footsteps.”

Baze then understood. Love binds Chirrut to Baze, and Baze to Chirrut; this is an immutable fact. Without Baze, Chirrut will not fly as he is meant to, and instead leashes himself to the ground, as he is _not_ meant to. 

The loss of his wings did not take flight away from Baze, but gave him a new duty. Baze without wings is still a Guardian - a Guardian of a Guardian.

So he stays. He watches his Chirrut spread his wings, and makes sure that nothing under the sky can touch the man he loves.

**Author's Note:**

> [i have written a book! Please consider purchasing one.](https://www.akleewrites.com/)


End file.
